Former Duluth news director speaks out after Facebook post, lands new job

Former KQDS Fox 21 News Director Jason Vincent verbally apologized on Friday for a controversial post on his personal Facebook page earlier this month during his first public interview on WGZS-FM, the Fond du Lac Band’s radio station. Vincent's resignation with the Duluth television station took effect on Friday, but he tells the Duluth News Tribune he was not fired. “I’m moving to (Cedar Rapids) Iowa, KGAN-TV. I’ll be a morning anchor down there," he said.

Author:: BMTN Staff
Publish date:: Aug 19, 2012

Former KQDS Fox 21 News Director Jason Vincent verbally apologized on Friday for a controversial post on his personal Facebook page earlier this month during his first public interview on WGZS-FM, the Fond du Lac Band’s radio station.

Listen to the "Moving Beyond Racism WGZS-FM Special" below:

Vincent's resignation with the Duluth television station took effect on Friday, but he tells the Duluth News Tribune he was not fired. “I’m moving to (Cedar Rapids) Iowa, KGAN-TV. I’ll be a morning anchor down there," he said.

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The news director for Duluth television station Fox 21 resigned from the position Monday after some said he had made a racist Facebook post last week. Fox 21 general manager Jackie Bruenjes issued a statement Monday night saying she accepted Jason Vincent’s resignation.

Duluth television news director Jason Vincent has apologized for his controversial Facebook post about a Native American man last week. KQDS Fox 21 TV added in the statement Saturday that they "do not condone this behavior." Vincent caused an uproar when he posted, "Add drunk, homeless, Native American man to the list of animals that have wandered into my yard."

A news director for Duluth's Fox 21 posted a comment on Facebook about a “drunk, homeless, Native American” who wandered into his yard and it caused a stir on social media websites. Two city of Duluth commissions requested an on-air apology.

The agreement with the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa provided the city with 19 percent of all revenue from electronic gaming. An ongoing legal fight began when the tribe stopped making payments in 2009. The Duluth News Tribune reports federal authorities have deemed portions of the contract invalid. Mayor Don Ness says the Interior Department is "using the power of the federal government to be an advocate for the band at the expense of the citizens of Duluth."

Duluth maintains the band needs city approval before expanding its reservation at Fond du Luth casino to include an adjacent hotel. The city attorney says a St. Louis County judge dismissed the lawsuit because a federal court is a better venue for it.

Summer flooding did not put a damper on fall hiring in Duluth. The region had its best September for job growth since 1992 with a spike of 2,200 jobs compared to August, according to a new state report, the Duluth News Tribune reports. It was welcome news after a general slump in job growth that has stretched for more than a year.

Duluth Mayor Don Ness says he still wants to find agreement with the Fond du Lac band so both sides benefit from the tribe's downtown casino. The city received a letter from the U.S. Dept. of the Interior giving a 10-day deadline for the city to explain why the casino lease shouldn't be voided. The city and the tribe are locked in a revenue sharing legal dispute.

An Allegiant Air flight from Duluth to Las Vegas made an emergency landing at Duluth International Airport Friday night after experiencing trouble with one of the engines. No one was injured.